If there are any Navy Sonarmen out there reading this who were familiar with
Gertrude, you know what’s coming.
Back in my sordid youth I was a Navy Radioman who sailed in destroyers.
(Related fact: destroyers were fondly called “tin cans” because of their thin
steel hulls).
On to my story……
Late 50’s, the Navy used a Morse LF/MF/HF broadcast method called “Fox” to
deliver traffic to seagoing commands, even when they were in port.
We were moored in a nest of destroyers and submarines in Norfolk, Virginia. On
a weekday I had just come off an 8-hour “mid-watch” copying the Fox broadcast,
and crawled in my sack to catch some sleep. My bunk was below the waterline,
next to the skin of the ship.
Just as I was dozing off, I started to hear faint, very slow and choppy, Morse,
seeming to be coming through the hull directly next to my bunk. Shook myself
awake, went up to the head, washed my face to clear my head, and the Morse was
gone. Back down to my bunk, and the hallucination was gone. Then, again as I
was just dozing off, MORE MORSE, this a little louder and of a slightly
different pitch, like I had tweaked the BFO a little on the RBB receiver in my
head!
“I’m losing it! Been copying too much Fox!”
Got out my bunk, went back up to Radio Central, and called the Chief aside to
explain my problem. He broke out laughing…..
Unknown to me, the old destroyers and submarines were fitted with a capability
to manually key their sonar equipment to send Morse when conducting ASW
exercises. This method was codenamed “Gertrude”. One morning a week while in
port, there was a 2-hour training session to maintain their skill at Morse.
Since sonar operates in the audio range, the transmissions from nearby ships
was strong enough to vibrate the hull next to my bunk!
73, de Hans, KØHB
"Just a boy and his radio"™
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